The real mutton soup

I find - thanks to sitemeter - that many people googling for mutton soup recipe end up on my post Mutton soup for the mommy soul. So here's a recipe (courtesy my previous maid) for a very Kerala style mutton soup for the body - for both mommy and baby.
You will need:
Half a kg mutton (even legs and bones)
2 and half mugs/2 litres of water
1 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)
3-4 garlic pieces
1 tbsp pepper powder
cardamom, clove, cinnamon stick - 1 each.

Boil the above stuff together for 1-2 hours till it thickens.

Season with curry leaves, mustard, chopped onions. I mean heat ghee, throw in some mustard, wait for it to crackle, then add onions till it turns light brown, and then curry leaves. Add the necessary amount of soup. Keep the rest in the freezer for later use.

p.s. Ta, I am off for an afternoon siesta. It is my day off. I will tell you what I did today tomorrow.

Kerala chicken stew

I am not planning to turn this into a food blog. But I thought the appam recipe was not complete without the chicken stew to go with it. This is something I picked up from my mil soon after marriage - though my stew never tastes as delicious as hers.

Here is what you need: 1. A few cinnamon sticks, star anise, 3-4 cardamom pods and clove. 2. 2/3 onions sliced long. 3. 2-3 green chillies cut lengthwise. 4. Chopped ginger and garlic - 1 teaspoon each 5. A dozen pepper corns and curry leaves. 6. Potatoes (2 no.) and carrots (1 big) cut into medium sized cubes 7. Tomatoes (2) sliced longish 8. Thick coconut milk - 1 pouch/ or use coconut milk powder to make the milk. Back home, we squeeze out the milk from grated coconut. The first thick milk is kept aside for the final flavoring while the 2nd and 3rd milk which is watery is used for cooking the vegetables and chicken.

Pour 3 tablespoons of oil (for the health freak - others can afford to put a little more oil) and throw in Item no. 1 in to the pan.

A minute later, add the onion and curry leaves.

Toss in green chillies, pepper, and the chopped ginger and garlic. Keep stirring till the onion is translucent and golden brown. (A lil salt helps to achieve this faster.) The more the oil, the better the result.

Wash and rinse the chicken (say 500 gm), meanwhile.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder (but stew can afford to look white too, so if you dont like it yellowish, forget the turmeric). Add a teaspoon of coriander powder and a teaspoon of garam masala powder (the spice mix). Stir well for a while... Toss in the potatoes, carrots and tomatoes and stir again. Now let the chicken join in the fun. Dilute the coconut milk in the tetrapak and add to it.

Cook covered, or in a pressure cooker (one whistle will do). Dont forget to add salt as required.

Open the cooker once the pressure reaches the minimum. Add some thick coconut milk from the tetra pak to get a thick gravy. Heat it but switch off before the curry starts to boil - the milk could curdle!

And lo presto! here is Mrs. VP Mathew's Kerala Chicken Stew! (Well, I dont have the best pictures, because they were taken on the sly while keeping my hubby and kids waiting at the table for their breakfast.) Footnote: The measurements given are only a rough estimate since veteran cooks like my mil and granny just make a mental calculation according to the amount of chicken available. One has to learn through trial and error as a result.

The same recipe can be used for making a mutton stew, an egg stew (add boiled eggs at the end) or a plain vegetable stew. p.s. I am submitting this to the instant food carnival of Mallugirl.

The making of appam

This is a recipe I got from The Epicure Cookbook by Ummi Abdullah. I cant find the book but this is what I remember of it. I (a mediocre and reluctant cook) dedicate this recipe and the visuals to a fellow blogger, who wanted to know what an appam looked like.
You will need:
1/2 kg raw rice soaked in cold water for 4-5 hours
1/2 a shell coconut grated
6 tablespoons cooked rice
1/2 tsp of yeast granules dissolved in a little lukewarm water OR 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast
salt and sugar (4 tsp) to taste
Preparation
Drain the soaked rice and grind it along with the coconut and cooked rice to a fine thick paste. Add instant yeast and mix lightly. (If you are using the other yeast, mix it in water and 2 tsp sugar, cover and keep till it rises.

Allow to ferment at room temperature for at least 6 hours or keep overnight and make the appams in the morning for breakfast. A pinch of soda bi-carb helps, if the batter hasnt risen yet. Add the sugar and salt. Keep aside for another hour.
Heat a small non-stick wok. Grease it with a cloth/tissue dipped it oil.
Pour approximately a ladle of batter and quickly but gently swirl the pan around such that only a thin layer of the batter covers the sides while the rest of the batter collects at the centre.
Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat till the edges have become golden crisp and the centre is soft and spongy. The edges will start coming off the wok by then.
Warning: Don't blame me if it doesnt come out well. I have already confessed that I am no great cook.
Curse your own stars instead!